Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party continued to tighten its authoritarian grip on Internet usage this week by passing a law that will hand out hefty fines to netizens posting material deemed critical of the state.

According to a report published by Reuters, anyone seen as criticizing the government on online social media platforms or espousing “reactionary ideology” can be hit with a fine equal to about $5,000. The average monthly income in the country is $185.

While prosecuting and imprisoning bloggers is nothing new in Vietnam, the decree appears to target content that is deemed incendiary by officials but does not constitute a criminal offense.

The new, and largely vague, law is the latest initiative in a widening crackdown by the country’s party officials aimed at silencing online dissent in an increasingly plugged-in Vietnam. According to online news site Tech in Asia, Vietnam has more than 20 million Facebook users, which accounts for 71.4 percent penetration of the country’s total internet population.